The Dribble

Just before the real season gets under way teams were forced to reduce their rosters, some notable players waived who may or may not be picked up by those teams missing some depth at certain positions include:

Rodney White; the one time 9th overall pick in 2001 for Detroit was waived in favor of Calbert Cheaney and will surely land on his feet somewhere

George Lynch; the former TarHeel (12th overall pick) appears to have the interest of the New York Knicks and his one time coach Larry Brown (Philadelphia) and will be looking to join his 5th team in 12 years.

Lionel Chalmers;
"Chalmers was acquired by the Wolves along with Marko Jaric in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Aug. 12. The 6-0 guard, posted 4.4 points, 2.4 assists and 10.8 minutes per game in five contests for the Wolves this preseason. He tallied 3.1 points (.460 FG%), 1.4 assists and 12.0 minutes per game in 36 contests for the Clippers during his rookie season in 2004-05. He scored a career-high 15 points at Denver on March 18, 2005 and tallied a career-best six assists vs. New Orleans on Dec. 21, 2004. Chalmers, who played collegiately at Xavier, was selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Clippers."

And awaaaaaaay we go!!!!!

The new NBA season gets started on Novemeber 1st (about time). Here is what we can look forward to on Tuesday's slate of games (yes only 4):

• Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia: how will Magloire fit in and is Iverson's knee okay?
• Denver vs. San Antonio: will the Nuggets' hot streak continue and can the Spurs turn it back on after a 2-7 preseason?
  
• Sacramento vs. NOK Hornets: just how dominant are the Kings gonna be?
• Dallas vs. Phoenix: did the Nowitzki meltdown (from last year's playoff exit) foreshadow things to come and can the Suns still run the fast break?

ESPN released their "power rankings" see it here.
TSN has their projected season standings here.

Suffice to say that, well everyone is entitled to their opinion, I guess.

Loose Balls will be a regular column of thoughts and occurrences in the NBA

• Danny Granger will rebound, score and block if he finds the floortime and may force the Pacers to make a move
  
• Charlie Villanueva leading all rookies in minutes and scoring while grabbing 7rpg
  
• Mike Sweetney posted a double-double against Minnesota (Garnett was on the bench) and might be breaking out thereby justifying his 9th overall selection
  
• the Celtics, who made the playoffs last year, will try again without trading anyone until things go really sour
  
• Nuggets have carried over last season's turnaround to the preseason and are 6-1
  
• Clipper's Daniel Ewing could be this year's Chris Duhon
  
• Adelman in Sactown doesn't know what to do with Kenny Thomas (who is playing better than Shareef) while Bonzi Wells is yet another candidate for a go-to-guy
  
• Darius Miles/Reuben Patterson are piquing the interest of the Knicks who might fit in and move Quentin Richardson to the SG spot in return for Malik Rose or Maurice Taylor and a youngster meaning the Trailblazers may finally make a move after talking about it for long enough
  
• the 6'11 Rafael Araujo, who could be compared to Adonal Foyle (minus the blocking ability) finds his scoring touch but still needs to work on the rebounds averaging 3.9 pg with his size is forcing the Raptors to not give up on him just yet
• Lattrell Sprewell is still unsigned (muahahahaha)
• Webber looks like he's feeling better as Ben Maller reports:

• my condolences to Desmond Mason who got shipped to the NOK Hornets; a team in disarray to say the least and Henry Abbott says it best on his blog:
  

• things you never get used to (even though it goes by fast enough): is a full month of pre-season (Stern is such a tease) where you can never tell if the performances will carry over to the regular season
• at least the waiver wire deadline is upon us Thursday 27 at 5 p.m.
  

In a move that addresses the issues that Devean George may have about his playing time in L.A. and the opinion that Phil Jackson must have of the two, the Lakers dealt away perhaps the only player who could threaten him for any playing time; Jumaine Jones to the Charlotte Bobcats for a second round pick.

The move has something to say to Gerald Wallace who "should" feed off of the competition if any that Jones, the fifth year player who joins his fifth team in five years , may provide.




The Boston Celtics appear to have given up on Wil Bynum the rookie from Georgia Tech after signing him following a decent performance in summer league:

Desmond Mason ,a first rouder and cash for Toronto native Jamaal Magloire.

A strange move seeing how the bucks also got a center named Andrew Bogut.

Does this mean that Bogut was an over-hyped bust or did they just want a "veteran" center to teach Bogut the ropes, or better yet is this the making of twin towers a la San Antonio/Detroit , the same desired effect the Raps hoped when they tried to trade him for Vince (although it looks like CV4 will fill that role)

Excellent multiple choice pop quiz over at End of the Bench says alot about the current state of the NBA and what some of the teams are thinking for example:
Not to forget hilarious.

Read it here.

The millionaires are never quite satisfied as Lamond Murray insists that the Toronto Raptors have no idea what they are doing.

After being waived by the Raptors and picked up by the New Jersey Nets in the offseason the Toronto Star quotes Murray as saying:

Nice article by the guys at theScore.ca on players who might be playing out of position in an attempt to get the most out of them:

• 1 Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Sacramento Kings
  Last season's primary position: Power forward
  This season's primary projected position: Some center; Power forward
  The skinny: Last season's small-ball success by Phoenix will see plenty of copy-cats this year, and the Kings may be the first of them. Abdur-Rahim has seen duty in the post during the pre-season and will reportedly play there when Brad Miller is on the bench to give the Kings a quicker look. Abdur-Rahim doesn't bring the defensive presence in the paint a team usually looks for, but his offense is top-notch and he has the size and skill to make the transition successfully.
  
  
  2 Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers
  Last season's primary position: Power forward
  This season's primary projected position: Point-forward
  The skinny: Early in his career Odom dabbled with the idea of bringing the ball up, but eventually he abandoned it to focus on his low-post game. To wit, in recent years he's looked like an emerging Kevin Garnett-type. But now head coach Phil Jackson wants him to play the point again, this time in the triangle offense a la Scottie Pippen from the Jordan days. Pippen is actually in Laker camp as a coach, helping with the transition. Expect fewer boards but more assists from Odom this season, who shifts down to small forward and lets Kwame Brown step into his old power forward role.
  
  
  3 Antoine Walker, Miami Heat
  Last season's primary position: Power forward
  This season's primary projected position: Some center; Small forward
  The skinny: Like Sacramento, the Heat have realized it was no fluke that Phoenix won last season with a smaller, more skilled line-up. To that end coach Stan Van Gundy has been playing Walker at center on occasion in training camp, giving the Heat a quicker look when Shaquille O'Neal takes a breather. The move isn't actually new for Walker, who saw some time in the pivot with Dallas a couple of years ago. Of course, he'll also play some power forward and small forward for Miami.
  
  
  4 Tyson Chandler, Chicago Bulls
  Last season's primary position: Power forward
  This season's primary projected position: Center
  The skinny: It took trading Eddy Curry, but Chandler is finally playing in his natural position. Last season he was the Bulls' best frontcourt player but was forced to come off the bench because Curry's scoring was too much for head coach Scott Skiles to resist. This season expect Chandler to start at center for Chicago, with newcomer Mike Sweetney stepping in beside him at power forward. If Chandler can stay healthy he has a very good chance to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocked shots this season.
  
  
  5 Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
  Last season's primary position: Power forward
  This season's primary projected position: Center
  The skinny: Howard will certainly see time at his usual power forward spot this year, but it's becoming obvious to the Magic that they have a big advantage with him manning the middle. There are several NBA power forwards who can score as well as Howard on the block but very few centers who can. He's big and athletic enough to handle the transition, although much will depend on whether Orlando can get anything defensively from their other power forwards. If they can, Howard may produce an Amare Stoudemire-caliber season.
  
  
  6 Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
  Last season's primary position: Shooting guard
  This season's primary projected position: Point guard
  The skinny: For years the Hawks have been trying to build a line-up stocked with oversized, hyper-versatile young athletes. Now they have Johnson as the centerpiece of that movement, a 6-foot-8 playmaker who will run the show for the improving team. Johnson proved last season in Phoenix he can handle the point, filling in for Steve Nash on occasion. Joining him in the starting backcourt will be 6-8 Josh Childress, giving Atlanta the NBA's tallest playmaking duo.
  
  
  7 Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
  Last season's primary position: Small forward
  This season's primary projected position: Power forward
  The skinny: There were times in his rookie campaign that Smith was asked to be a swingman, but his style and skills are much more suited to a power game. Despite being listed by some as guard, the high-flying Smith posted a whopping 144 blocked shots last season--more than most of the NBA's centers. At 6-9 he has the frame to play power forward and his leaping ability effectively makes him an athletic 7-footer. He just needs to stay healthy to become a young Shawn Kemp (minus the attitude problems).
  
  
  8 Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls
  Last season's primary position: Shooting guard
  This season's primary projected position: Point guard
  The skinny: Last season Hinrich started mostly at shooting guard for the Bulls and let Chris Duhon bring the ball up. That looks like a thing of the past this year, as Ben Gordon has been in the starting line-up during much of pre-season and Duhon has come off the bench. Gordon's lack of playmaking skills mean Hinrich moves back to his more natural point guard duties, so expect him to be even more of a distributor, as in his rookie campaign.
  
  
  9 Aaron McKie, Los Angeles Lakers
  Last season's primary position: Bench warmer/small forward
  This season's primary projected position: Starting point guard
  The skinny: This is not to say that McKie will be the primary passer in coach Phil Jackson's triangle offense; That job will in fact go to Lamar Odom. Rather, McKie will often bring the ball up and get it to Odom, wait for three-pointer chances, and then cover the other team's point guard on the way back down the floor. It's the same role Ron Harper had in the Chicago Bulls dynasty under Jackson, and while it's not conventional or a likely to produce huge stats, it's certainly a better role for McKie than he had last season at the end of Philly's bench.
  
  
  10 Nick Collison, Seattle SuperSonics
  Last season's primary position: Power forward This season's projected primary position: Center
  The skinny: A cast of thousands is auditioning to fill the center void left by Jerome James, including Mikki Moore, rookie Johan Petro, and Vitaly Potapenko. Yet when the dust settles expect Collison to have the best chance of taking over as Seattle's new middle-man. He played mostly power forward in his first full season last year, but Collison has the size to handle the pivot and a far more advanced skill-set than the team's other options. He also showed glimpses of excellence down the stretch last season and in the playoffs, so don't be surprised if he's manning center a few games into the upcoming schedule.

Does anyone really think Posey can steal the show in Miami cause Payton still shows spurts of having something to prove while Zo is blocking everything in sight since coming back with the Heat?


You just gotta love the energy Channing Frye and Trevor Ariza bring to the court in New York, while just who is Nate Robinson gonna back up...Marbury or Crawford?

In Philadelphia they're asking Salmons or Nailon?

Darko still dunking....


and you know there is no denying that they actually look sharp in those suits.

Was getting ready to write an article on the battles at various positions across the NBA when I stumbled upon one by Ted Carlson at Fanball.com.

Just neglects the issues the Boston Celtics have at almost every position:

Center: Perkins or Blount
Power Forward: Jefferson or LaFrentz
Small Forward: Paul Pierce or Gerald Green or Ryan Gomes
Shooting Guard: Ricky Davis or Tony Allen
Point Guard: Dan Dickau or Delonte West or Marcus Banks

Man Darko is playing likes he's pissed at the world-nice to watch and is Big Ben feeding off his energy??? They seem to have a nice flow going in Detroit right now.

Good news in T.O. CV3 aka Charlie Villanueva seems like he is gonna be okay: 2 games in he averaging decent 15ppg and 6rpg

Jasikevicius looks like the real deal and the Pacers will be fine even without Reggie but according to Artest... ESPN.com quotes him as:"He played great; everybody played great. ... But it's the preseason," Artest said. "The guys are getting in shape, getting ready. He (Jasikevicius) is a really good point guard. He's not as good on defense; we're going to have to help him a lot. But he can run the show."

Still early only one game into the exhibition season but:

• Amare Stoudemire out for at least four months (knee surgery)
  
• LeBron James not even close to playing live ball (chest pains)
• Kevin Garnett didn't dress for first preseason game (sore right knee)
• Jermaine O'Neal out with sore thigh (bruise)
• Keith Van Horn out indefinitely-(cough)no surprise(cough) with sprained thumb
• Alan Houston who no one expected back anyways has his knee acting up
• Jeff McInnis has a muscle strain in his lower back
• Wally Szczerbiak gets tests on sprained right ankle
• Marko Jaric still hasn't dressed (sprained right ankle)
• Darko Milicic gets arrested for parking tickets
  

The guys at NBA Source stumbled upon an online wagering site that provides odds of total wins forecasted for several teams with respect to the upcoming season and in turn offer their analysis of these predictions.

Interesting to say the least.

Who will be this year's undisputed kings of the fast break?

Last year it was the Phoenix Suns, this year there are so many contenders.

Starting in the East:

• New Jersey Nets: will Jason Kidd who finally gets an all-star supporting cast (Carter/Jefferson) be able to survive an entire season
• Atlanta Hawks: if they get their share of rebounds they have more than enough players who know how to finish on the break
  
• Cleveland Cavaliers: with Varejao out for a while can Ilgauskas (pant,pant) run up and down the floor with speedsters James/Hughes on the wings
• Boston Celtics: young and gifted but can they play as a team
• Milwaukee Bucks: is Bogut the real deal, can Simmons follow-up last year now that he got his contract, does Redd know how to dish or play defense and will we finally see what T.J. Ford can really do?
• Orlando Magic: given that their only low post threat is Dwight Howard the Magic would benefit greatly by constantly attacking on the fast break with decent finishers like Grant Hill and Steve Francis who can be fed the ball by more than capable point guards (Dooling/Nelson/Diener)
  
• Washington Wizards: young, deep and fast will definitely be fun to watch
• Toronto Raptors: size and questionable toughness inside will force this team to be fast break specialists led by coach Sam Mitchell's point guard mentality and young streaky players who all have something to prove
  

Jim Paxson the GM of the Chicago Bulls who only wanted to do the "right thing" in negotiations with Eddy Curry (and his heart condition) was forced to trade him to the New York Knicks along with Antonio Davis for Tim Thomas, Mike Sweetney and Jermaine Jackson and a bundle of draft picks-"a conditional first-round draft choice in the 2006 NBA Draft, two future second-round draft selections and the opportunity to exchange a future draft choice" and of course all is subject to a physical....

Henry Abbott gives his perspective and covers the saga well here.

The Raptors quest to solve theri point guard woes took a twist when they sent their star point guard for the well travelled Mike James.The trade will save the team as much as $16 million US over next three years.

The six-foot-two, 170-pound Alston averaged 14.2 points per game in 2004-05 with 3.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists.

James is a six-foot-two, 188-pound NBA journeyman who has played in Miami, Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee and Houston. In 248 career games, the 30-year-old has averaged 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists.